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Vol. 18 (2026)

Radar-Infrared Multi-Scale Bi-Stealth via Optically Transparent Chaotic Coding Metasurface

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02294-6
Yanzhao Wang
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Yanzhang Shao
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Dan Liu
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Zhixuan Hu
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Yifei Xu
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Huanhuan Gao
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Xihong Wang
Integrated Circuit Industry College, Wangzheng School of Microelectronics, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, People’s Republic of China
Xiaogang Su
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China
Fei Ding
School of Electronic Science and Technology, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo 315200, People’s Republic of China
He‑Xiu Xu
Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an 710051, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: He‑Xiu Xu

hxxuellen@gmail.com

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 445

Abstract

The rapid development of multispectral detection technology urgently requires the simultaneous suppression of microwave and infrared (IR) signatures. However, conventional strategies suffer from limited functional integration, complex structures, and poor scalability in achieving synergistic control of radar cross section (RCS) and IR radiation characteristics. Herein, we propose a chaotic paradigm combined with a multi-scale strategy to address radar-IR-optical multispectral stealth by using a single-layer coding indium tin oxide (ITO) platform. This architecture covers millimeter-scale representative elements, centimeter-scale phase-coded subarrays, and decimeter-scale meta-arrays, with a direct correlation established between chaotic initial conditions and microwave/IR responses theoretically. Specifically, chaotic coding, a deterministic pseudo-random coding method, is adopted to construct a meta-array inspired by sensitivity of chaotic systems to initial conditions. Tuning chaotic initial parameters enables controllable spatial IR emissivity modulation while preserving broadband intrinsic microwave diffusion due to the multi-wavevector mechanism. For verification, a proof-of-concept metadevice is fabricated, and experimental results manifested a broadband RCS reduction over 10 dB within X/Ku bands (8 ~ 18 GHz) for incident angles up to 45°, with a low IR emissivity below 0.3 and a high optical transmittance of 71.2%. Featuring ultrathin profile (3.35 mm, ~ 0.09 λL), light weight, optical transparency, and facile fabrication, our strategy offers a promising avenue for multi-scale multispectral stealth applications.


Highlights:
1 A chaotic paradigm combined with a multi-scale strategy is proposed for radar-IR Bi-stealth based on a single-layer indium tin oxide metasurface.
2 The metadevice achieves ≥10 dB RCS reduction (8–18 GHz, ≤45°), low IR emissivity (<0.3), and high optical transmittance (71.2%).
3 The design features ultrathin profile (3.35 mm), lightweight, optical transparency, and facile fabrication for scalable applications.

Keywords

Chaotic coding Radar-infrared bi-stealth Metasurface Radar cross section (RCS) reduction Multi-scale
Wang, Yanzhao, Yanzhang Shao, Dan Liu, Zhixuan Hu, Yifei Xu, Huanhuan Gao, Xihong Wang, Xiaogang Su, Fei Ding, and He‑Xiu Xu. 2026. “Radar-Infrared Multi-Scale Bi-Stealth via Optically Transparent Chaotic Coding Metasurface”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (July):445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02294-6.
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